by Deanna Couras Goodson

To many people, Alaska is a mystery. It's a land of snow and tundra and the North Pole. However, by watching TV, you can get a glimpse into The Last Frontier.

ALASKA ON REALITY TV:

Sure, American Idol hasn’t made it to Alaska yet. Survivor hasn’t featured an Alaskan castaway – at least not to my knowledge. However, Alaska has captured the imaginations of some reality TV producers. The Last Frontier has been featured in The Amazing Race and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It’s also been the focus of a series entitled Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska.

In Season one of The Amazing Race, the final three teams headed to Alaska where they had to climb the Matanuska Glacier. Matanuska is a two-hour drive NE from Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. The contestants also spent the night at the Tokosha Mountain Lodge, which is on the south side of Mt. McKinley (aka Denali), the highest point in the United States. There was a special Alaskan-themed Detour on this episode. Each team had to choose between taking a team of sled dogs or a snowmobile to get to their next clue. Their final challenge was to strip down to their underwear or a swimsuit and submerge themselves completely in the frigid waters of Fish Lake. Finally, they had to drive back to Anchorage, where they flew to the final destination of the race (New York) from Ted Stevens International Airport.

On the season premiere of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2006, Ty Pennington and his crew flew to the city of North Pole, Alaska. They put together a new house for the Rogers family in just seven days with the help of the community and Landmark Inc., a local company that also works closely with Habitat for Humanity. It was an emotional and inspirational episode that showed the spirit of Alaska in the proper light.

Finally, we have a series all about Alaska. Reality TV would be re-miss if it didn’t hit on the idea of finding love in Alaska, where the single men still outnumber the single women. In the summer of 2002, this series, which was called Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska, had decent ratings for FOX at the beginning. 5 single gals headed north to look for love and some sexy single men. Sissie and Brent seemed to really connect and were supposed to marry, however it didn’t work out.

ALASKANS ON REALITY TV:

A few notable Alaskans – or people who’ve spent a majority of their formative years in the state – have given some reality TV series’ some serious flavor. First up is Kai Hibbard, a 28 year old from Eagle River, Alaska. She lost 77 lbs from her original 262 frame on The Biggest Loser 3. That’s enough to earn Kai the respect and admiration of thousands and … the distinction of being the female record-holder with the most weight lost in a season of the series.

As the third runner-up, Kai received $50,000, a whole new body and a new outlook. After returning home she continued her losing ways and shed 44 more pounds. She’s taken her new self-confidence with her to Maine, where she’s currently attending law school.

Jewel Kilcher is a singer/songstress and philanthropist. She spent most of her youth living in Homer, Alaska with her dad, Artz Kilcher, who’s also a singer/songwriter and yodeler. Her grandfather, Yule Kilcher, a Swiss émigré, moved to Alaska in 1940 and was a state senator as well as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

Jewel, who appeared on the Season premiere of American Idol this year as a guest judge for the Minneapolis leg of auditions, is also the current co-host of Nashville Star. Nashville Star takes undiscovered Country singers and puts them through a rigorous competition that is not unlike American Idol. Jewel, who grew up listening to Country music on her dad’s ranch in Alaska, is a natural fit for her new hosting gig.

Read Alaska's Impact on TV-Part I.

About the Author: Deanna Goodson is a freelance writer/web content editor. She is currently the featured writer at the Reality TV section at Suite101.com. She’s also the editor of TeamRT.com, a reality TV gossip blog. Learn more about her here.